bury her face in his shoulder. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered.
He kissed the top of her head and pressed his cheek to her hair. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I got home and I couldn’t find Gwyn, and the horse was wandering around on its own, and then—I found her. She had collapsed and fallen or something. Nobody told me what’s wrong. She just… collapsed.”
“It’s okay,” he said, squeezing tighter. “It’s okay.”
Waiting to hear about her aunt’s condition made Rylie not feel up to talking very much, but Seth waited with her anyway. She bit her fingernails until they bled, and then her hands warmed with her healing powers, and she started biting again.
After she destroyed her thumbnail three times in a row, Seth grabbed her fist.
“Don’t do that.”
She shook him off and paced the waiting room, stuffing her hands under her arms. “How long can it take to look at her? Why can’t we go inside? Someone needs to tell me something !”
He didn’t seem to hear her. He was staring at the TV. “Wait. Look at this.”
Seth reached up to increase the volume.
“…Maria Sharp left behind two kids and a husband, who say her love of baking and talented hand with a woodcarving knife will be sorely missed.” The news anchor had perfect hair, perfect teeth, and a perfectly sculpted sympathetic look. “Donations and gifts are being accepted at the Mill Street Baptist Church, where her family will be holding the memorial. In other news…”
“So what?” Rylie asked.
“You missed the headline,” he said, his brow drawn low to shadow his eyes. “She was killed in the animal attacks.”
She knew it was bad, very bad, and that there was something wrong about that news—beyond the fact someone had been killed—but she didn’t care enough to puzzle it out. Who cared about some dead woman anyway?
“Oh no,” she said flatly.
“I should have done something,” Seth muttered. It was quiet enough that Rylie wasn’t sure she was supposed to hear. “I should have been watching.”
But people were still going in and out of Gwyn’s door and she didn’t care what he had to say. Rylie wanted to grab the nurses and force them to tell her what was wrong. She angled herself to peer in her aunt’s door when it swung open again. The curtains were closed.
What was taking so long?
“Do you think Abel’s been acting weird?” Seth asked.
“What?” She stretched on her toes to see over a doctor when he slipped around the curtain, but a nurse obscured her view. Rylie caught up with the conversation a moment later. “Abel… weird?” She still hadn’t told Seth about their hunt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’ve found nothing that points to Levi and Bekah being killers,” Seth said, keeping his voice low and an eye on the hall. Nobody was close enough to hear their conversation. “In fact, people have been dying in these animal attacks for two months.”
“Does that mean it’s actually animals?” Rylie asked.
Tension radiated from his shoulders. He suddenly wouldn’t look at her. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t have any leads.”
His smell changed. Was he lying?
Gwyn’s door opened again, distracting her. A nurse wheeled a cart into the hall and disappeared around the corner.
“I can’t stand it,” she said. “I’m done waiting.”
Before she could push into Gwyn’s room, a doctor stepped out, stopping Rylie short. “What’s wrong?” she asked when he looked up from his chart. She felt breathless, like she had been running, even though she could have run for miles without becoming winded.
“Ms. Gresham is resting,” he said, glancing at his cell phone. “She fainted and hit her head, but she’s alert now.”
“Will she be okay?”
“That’s a tough question with a complicated answer.”
He checked his phone again. Rylie wanted to grab his shirt and shake him. How could anything be more important than her aunt? Only
He kissed the top of her head and pressed his cheek to her hair. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I got home and I couldn’t find Gwyn, and the horse was wandering around on its own, and then—I found her. She had collapsed and fallen or something. Nobody told me what’s wrong. She just… collapsed.”
“It’s okay,” he said, squeezing tighter. “It’s okay.”
Waiting to hear about her aunt’s condition made Rylie not feel up to talking very much, but Seth waited with her anyway. She bit her fingernails until they bled, and then her hands warmed with her healing powers, and she started biting again.
After she destroyed her thumbnail three times in a row, Seth grabbed her fist.
“Don’t do that.”
She shook him off and paced the waiting room, stuffing her hands under her arms. “How long can it take to look at her? Why can’t we go inside? Someone needs to tell me something !”
He didn’t seem to hear her. He was staring at the TV. “Wait. Look at this.”
Seth reached up to increase the volume.
“…Maria Sharp left behind two kids and a husband, who say her love of baking and talented hand with a woodcarving knife will be sorely missed.” The news anchor had perfect hair, perfect teeth, and a perfectly sculpted sympathetic look. “Donations and gifts are being accepted at the Mill Street Baptist Church, where her family will be holding the memorial. In other news…”
“So what?” Rylie asked.
“You missed the headline,” he said, his brow drawn low to shadow his eyes. “She was killed in the animal attacks.”
She knew it was bad, very bad, and that there was something wrong about that news—beyond the fact someone had been killed—but she didn’t care enough to puzzle it out. Who cared about some dead woman anyway?
“Oh no,” she said flatly.
“I should have done something,” Seth muttered. It was quiet enough that Rylie wasn’t sure she was supposed to hear. “I should have been watching.”
But people were still going in and out of Gwyn’s door and she didn’t care what he had to say. Rylie wanted to grab the nurses and force them to tell her what was wrong. She angled herself to peer in her aunt’s door when it swung open again. The curtains were closed.
What was taking so long?
“Do you think Abel’s been acting weird?” Seth asked.
“What?” She stretched on her toes to see over a doctor when he slipped around the curtain, but a nurse obscured her view. Rylie caught up with the conversation a moment later. “Abel… weird?” She still hadn’t told Seth about their hunt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’ve found nothing that points to Levi and Bekah being killers,” Seth said, keeping his voice low and an eye on the hall. Nobody was close enough to hear their conversation. “In fact, people have been dying in these animal attacks for two months.”
“Does that mean it’s actually animals?” Rylie asked.
Tension radiated from his shoulders. He suddenly wouldn’t look at her. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t have any leads.”
His smell changed. Was he lying?
Gwyn’s door opened again, distracting her. A nurse wheeled a cart into the hall and disappeared around the corner.
“I can’t stand it,” she said. “I’m done waiting.”
Before she could push into Gwyn’s room, a doctor stepped out, stopping Rylie short. “What’s wrong?” she asked when he looked up from his chart. She felt breathless, like she had been running, even though she could have run for miles without becoming winded.
“Ms. Gresham is resting,” he said, glancing at his cell phone. “She fainted and hit her head, but she’s alert now.”
“Will she be okay?”
“That’s a tough question with a complicated answer.”
He checked his phone again. Rylie wanted to grab his shirt and shake him. How could anything be more important than her aunt? Only
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